Participant behavior and community response in online mental health communities: Insights from Reddit

Virginia Morini, Maria Sansoni, Giulio Rossetti, Dino Pedreschi, Carlos Castillo

Abstract: Highlights•Analysis of 69 Reddit mental health communities reveals distinct behavioral patterns.•Mental health subreddits mirror mutual-help forums, differ from non-support ones.•Novel method for identifying actual users posting intents using Reddit post flairs.•Seeking support and venting are primary posting intents, most consistent over time.•Community responses significantly influence users’ follow-up behaviors.